Dramatic storm hits borough

Jay Adair took these pictures of lightning striking above Abram last night as the storm moved across the North West, bringing with it heavy rain, flooding and traffic chaos.

But Wigan managed to escape the storm relatively unscathed, with most of the borough’s firefighters being called to central Manchester where the worst of the flooding hit.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service reported receiving 106 calls between in the hour and a half after the storm began at around 6.30pm, with the majority from the central Manchester, Hyde and Stockport areas.

The Metrolink ground to a halt, suspending all trams because of the lightning while Manchester City’s Champions League clash was suspended.

Twenty thousand properties in Lancashire were also left without power.

The weather today is looking brighter, however, with temperatures expected to reach around 24 degrees.